Thomas a



(No Model.)

T. A. DAVIES.

RAILWAY SPIKE. No. 894.878. Patented Dec. 18, 1888.

WITNESSES A //v I/EIVIOR,

BY M 6} ATTORNEY.

N PETERS. mmilm w. Wuhinglou, 0.0

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

THOMAS A. DAVIES, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

RAl LWAY-SPIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,678, dated December 18, 1888.

Application filed April 6 1888- "0 all 2071,0121 it may concern.-

Be it known that l, THOMAS A. DAVIES, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Railway-Spike, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to railway spikes, and has for its object to improve the con struotion of the spike for which Letters Patent of the United States No. 368,818, dated August 23, 1887, were granted to myself; and the further object of the invention is to provide a means whereby the said spike will when driven be effectually guided diagonally'of the tie, and wherein also the bottom edge of the spike will in its downward progress gather the wood fibers and cut the same evenly and cleanly.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specificatu'm, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figurel is a side elevation of the spike. Fig. 2 is a similar view, partly broken away, of the opposite side. Fig. 23 is an edge view, and Fig. l a plan view.

In carrying out the invention the spike A is preferably made in plate form. It constitutes a diagonal plate spike, made iapering from the point or lower end, u, up to the head a, which latter projects to one side only of the body, and is formed at an angle to the side edgestliat is, the line of the length of the head forms obtuse angles with the lines of the side edges of the spike. The object of this diagonal arrangement of the head of the spike is that the spike may be driven into the cross-tie at an angle,and also in order that the head a when driven home will rest fiat upon the flange ofthe rail.

To further provide for the correct entrance and effective driving of the spike, the lower end, a, illustrated in dotted lines, is cut away at the outer edge upon a line, (1 essentially at right angles to the base-line of the head, as best shown in Fig. 1.

In the bottom edge of the spike, between the outer edges, a series of angular recesses, 12, are produced, whereby the points 1), b and b are obtained. In practice for conven- Serial No. 269,786- (No model.)

ience in making the apex of the several recesses I) is curved, as shown in positive lines in Fig. 1. This construction imparts a mortise form to the spike at the bottom, so that when said spike is driven in the tie it compresses, and at the same time neatly and cleanly cuts the tiber of the wood. The base line a of the spike-body being at right angles to the base-line of the head insures the accurate entrance of the spike in the tie, and also serves as an effective guide when said spike is driven, compelling the latter to follow a diagonal course.

I do not confine myself to a spike having a gradual taper from top to bottom, as the lower end only may be tapering, or the taper may merge into a straight or essentially straight surface at any point in the length of the body without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to securehy Letters Patent, is-

l. A spike provided with a series of recesses in its bottom edge producing outer and intermediate essentially pointed surfaces, substantially as shown and described.

2. A spike provided with a series of essentially angular recesses in the bottom edge and substantially pointed surfaces at each side edge and intervening said side edges, as and for the purpose specified.

I}. As an improved article of manufacture, a spike provided with a general taper its entire length, a diagonal head, and having the base at the front edge cut away essentially at right angles to the base-line of the head, and a series of recesses in the under surface of the base, substantially as shown and described, whereby a mortise form is imparted to the base of the spike, as and for the purpose specified.

t. As an improved article of manufzu'ture, a spike provided with a tapering point, a diagonal head, and having the base at the front edge cut away essentially at right angles to the base-line of the head, a series of essentially angular recesses produced in the under surface of the base, and essentially pointed surfaces at each side edge and intervening the same, as and for the purpose specified.

TIIOS. A. DAVIES.

\Vituesses:

J. F. AcKER, Jr., C. SEDGWICK. 

